Tiny Habits

I love thinking about how people change. Books like Change Anything

and Willpower

give us insight into what it takes to make lasting changes. Many of us have never really cracked the code for what it takes to make positive, permanent changes in our lives. Specifically, how do we develop good habits?

There’s a whole theological side to this issue, which makes it even more interesting for me. Real change, at the depth of our being, is only possible through a change of heart and the power of the Holy Spirit. Still, even with the Spirit’s help, how do we develop good disciplines and habits in our lives?

I was curious when I came across Tiny Habits. It’s developed by B.J. Fogg at Stanford University. He’s developed a 5-day simple, effective way to create new behaviors in your life.

Fogg describes a “tiny habit” as a behavior that:

• You do at least once a day.
• It takes you less than 30 seconds to do.
• It requires little effort.

Here’s how it works. Pick three tiny habits. Anchor the habit to something that you already do as part of your life. And declare victory when you do them.

Here are a couple of examples of tiny habits anchored to existing habits:

• After I brush my teeth, I will floss one tooth.
• After I lie down at night, I will turn on my Kindle.

Notice how easy these behaviors are. There’s no obligation to floss all your teeth or read anything on your Kindle. But once you’ve flossed one of your teeth, you may as well continue.

I’ve been participating this week. So far, so good. Check out his website, or this article that explains how it works. Consider signing up to participate in this experiment.